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Notes On A Scorecard
TCU director of intercollegiate athletics Chris Del Conte discusses the hot topics around the Horned Frogs
IT'S A SELLOUT
Thanks to all of you who have placed a down payment for 2012 club seats in Amon G. Carter Stadium. We have been thrilled with the response and now have more down payments than we have seats. While our deadline is officially Sunday, May 15, it is clear that we will have a waiting list at the time of seat selection, which will take place this fall and be based on our Horned Frog Priority Points System.
SUNDAY DEADLINE
As I'm sure you know, Sunday, May 15, is our deadline to renew your football season tickets and parking. If you haven't renewed your tickets or parking yet, please do so as soon as possible. You probably have received phone calls and emails that time is winding down. Simply put, people want your seats. We have a waiting list and season tickets not renewed by Sunday will be allocated to others. We are currently well ahead of last year's record-breaking season-ticket total. Due to the limited capacity (32,000) and heavy demand we have this year, we will be strictly enforcing this year's deadline.
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
The only Amon G. Carter Stadium suite remaining for purchase is currently the one my office has been using in the South End Zone. The new athletics directors' suite will be on the West side, so my current suite is available. Please contact TCU associate athletics director Davis Babb (d.babb@tcu.edu or 817-257-5658) if you are interested. It indeed provides one heck of a view to watch the game.
SATURATING TARRANT COUNTY
Starting Monday, make sure you keep an eye out for some billboards throughout Tarrant County as part of the official kickoff of our marketing campaign for the 2011 football season. We wanted to incorporate the city of Fort Worth as well as assign players from a particular town, where we have the billboards, with a landmark from that area. Join the Purple Revolution is a call to action to buy season tickets.
MUST-SEE TV
Since Jan. 1, we have had 25,000 page views of the live webcam on GoFrogs.com showing the renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium. If you haven't checked it out yet, look for the sliding graphic in the middle of our main page or just bookmark the following LINK. The latest renovation update is the west side getting concrete tubs and more steel. Work is also well underway on our new intercollegiate strength and conditioning center as steel will start up next week.
DONNING THE CAP AND GOWN
Congratulations to our 50 current and former student-athletes who took part in this weekend's commencement ceremonies on campus. Fifteen of those new graduates were all-conference selections, including All-Americans Ashley Aikman (equestrian), Tom Hoge (men's golf) and Christy Hudson (volleyball). A special tip of the cap goes to former men's basketball player Gary Randle. His last year on the court for us was 1976. Thanks to the great efforts, and persistence, of TCU associate athletics director Jack Hesselbrock, we've been able to take full advantage of the NCAA's Degree Completion Award Program. Through Jack's trademark follow-up with our past student-athletes, the NCAA has recognized our success with this fantastic initiative. We monitor the recipients, like Gary, as if they were current student-athletes in our program. Jack leads our efforts in seeking others to come back and earn their degree. It's an incredible statement to have someone as recognizable in the community as Gary seizing the opportunity made available through the NCAA's Degree Completion Award Program.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
As a reminder, please remember that contact with prospective student-athletes and their families or guardians, whether it be in-person, written or via any type of phone or electronic communication, is prohibited. This includes social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter as well as message boards and chat rooms on websites. Failure to adhere to these established NCAA guidelines could adversely affect TCU and the prospective student-athletes' eligibility. Our saying is, "Remember to ask before you act!" If you ever have any questions regarding what is permissible via NCAA rules and regulations, please contact our compliance office at (817) 257-7525.
TOP HONORS
Gary Patterson, the best football coach in America, was recognized last night with the very prestigious Fort Worth's Outstanding Citizen Award by the Exchange Club of Fort Worth. It's a great honor for someone who means so much to the TCU and Fort Worth communities.
CELEBRATION SATURDAY
The Lettermen's Association will hold its annual celebration and meeting Saturday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center South Lawn, next to Lupton Stadium. This family-friendly day includes a picnic and cookout with food prepared by the world-famous Lettermen's Tailgate Pit. We'll have games for the kids, door prizes, TCU baseball tickets and much more. A special edition Lettermen's logo t-shirt will be given away to the first 200 who sign up online on the Lettermen's Association website. For more information and to register, please visit The Letterman's Association Online or give Greg Blackwell a call at (817) 257-5471.
FUN AT THE BALLPARK
We have a big weekend of baseball at Lupton Stadium as Utah comes to town in a match-up of the top-two teams in the Mountain West Conference standings. The series opener is Friday at 6:30 p.m. First pitch Saturday is 4 p.m., while Sunday's start time is 1 p.m. In addition to having an opportunity to clinch our sixth straight Mountain West Conference championship, we'll have our Frogs for the Cure game Saturday with Senior Day Sunday. Tim Halperin, fresh off his American Idol performance and the writer and vocalist on the popular "We Fight Back" song highlighting our Frogs for the Cure efforts, will be signing autographs at Saturday's game. We'll also be distributing 3,000 pink rally towels, sponsored by University of North Texas Health. Make sure to arrive early Sunday for the pre-game recognition of our senior class. Sunday is also our final Kids' Day of the season. We'll have inflatable games and face painting as well as a post-game running of the bases and autograph session.
IMPRESSIVE RUNS
How about the impressive postseason runs of our men's and women's golf programs! Did you know they rank first and second, respectively, among all our sports for most consecutive years in the postseason? Our men begin NCAA regional play next week in Colorado. It will be the 22nd straight postseason appearance under head coach Bill Montigel. Only three other schools in the country currently have as long a postseason run in men's golf under the same coach. Angie Ravaioli-Larkin's women's program, which won the Mountain West Conference championship this spring, has a streak of 16 straight postseason appearances.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK
Our men's and women's track and field programs will be in Fort Collins, Colo., as they begin competition tomorrow at the Mountain West Conference Championships.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to Kelsey Bond, captain of this year's Showgirls, on winning TCU's Top Grad, a reality show contest through our campus department of film, television and digital media. Kelsey always represented the Showgirls and TCU very well during her four years with us.
ONLINE CHAT
Our next online chat will be Monday, May 16, at 3 p.m. Our first online chat last month was a lot of fun, and I hope helpful to you. Check GoFrogs.com for the opportunity to submit your questions in advance.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Please let us know if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding our program. This is also your program and we value your feedback. We welcome all calls and emails.
Go Frogs!
Christopher M. Del Conte
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
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